The Beginning of Prince Hall Freemason

PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY The Beginning of Prince Hall Freemason THE WARRANT TO AFRICAN LODGE NO. 459 In 1784 Prince Hall wrote two letters to a Brother Moody in London seeking his help in obtaining a warrant for his lodge. Brother Moody was a member of the Lodge of Brotherly Love, No. 55, meeting at King's Head Tavern, Holborn. He later became Master of the Perseverance Lodge, No. 398, meeting at The Fleece, Old Palace Yard, and Westminster. Prince Hall's first letter was dated 2 March 1784 and his second 30 June 1784. The first letter is printed in A QC (vol. 73, p. 56) and the second is reprinted in Davis (pp. 33-4). I reproduce the second: Wm M. Moody, Most W. Master. The opening paragraph which is not relevant to the petition was omitted. Dear Sir, I would inform you that this Lodge hath been founded almost this eight years and had no Warrant yet But only a Permit from Grand Master Row to walk on St John's Day and Bury our dead in form which we now enjoy. We have had no opportunity till now of applying for Warrant though we were prested upon to send to France for one but we refused for reasons best known to ourselves. We now apply to the Fountain from whom we received light for this favor, and Dear Sir, I must beg you to be our advocate for us by sending this our request to his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland Grand Master, and to the Right Honorable Earl of Effingham acting Grand Master, the Deputy Grand Master and Grand Wardens and the rest of the Brethren of the Grand Lodge that they would be graciously pleased to grant us a Charter to hold this Lodge as long as we behave up to the Spirit of the Constitution. This our humble petition we hope His Highness and the rest of the Grand Lodge will graciously be pleased to grant us there. Though poor yet sincere brethren of the Craft, and therefore in duty bound ever to pray, I beg leave to subscribe myself. Your loving friend and Brother Prince Hall Master of African Lodge No. 1 June 30, 1784 In the Year of Masonry 5784 In the name of the holly Lodge C. Underwood, Secretary The petition was successful and the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) issued a warrant to African Lodge No. 459 on 20 September 1784. For a number of reasons the warrant did not arrive in Boston until April 1787. Its arrival was announced in the Columbian Centennial, a Boston newspaper dated 2 May 1787, in the following words: 'By Captain Scott, from London, came the charter, etc.' According to Grimshaw, the lodge was erected on 6 May1787, but we are left in the dark as to the manner of its erection and by whom it was carried out. Prince Hall also received a copy of the Constitutions of the Grand Lodge and they contained a requirement that each lodge must be properly constituted. To what extent that requirement was observed by lodges overseas is open to doubt; if there was another lodge in the area or near at hand there would be little difficulty in complying with the rules. If it was an isolated lodge, strict compliance may have been impossible. The date of the petition, 30 June 1784, is important in that the War of Independence had finished and a Peace Treaty had been signed in 1783. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was no longer a British Colony but a PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY State in the United States of America. Was the issue of this warrant to African Lodge an infringement of jurisdiction? It has been held by many writers that the issue of this warrant was, in fact, an infringement of jurisdiction - but they fail to say whose jurisdiction for there were, at that time, two Grand Lodges in Massachusetts. And in any event the British Grand Lodges have never accepted the American doctrine of exclusive jurisdiction. The issue of this warrant was the last granted by the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) to a lodge in what is now the United States of America. The Grand Lodge of England (Ancients) granted a warrant, No. 236, to a lodge at Charleston, South Carolina, on 26 May 1786, although a Grand Lodge had been formed in that State in 1777. At the time of the issue of the warrant to African Lodge the American doctrine of exclusive jurisdiction had not been promulgated and does not seem to have been arrived at until the1800s. As I have already stated there were two Grand Lodges in Massachusetts when African Lodge received its warrant. There was the Massachusetts Grand Lodge, which had been the Scottish Provincial Grand Lodge over which Joseph Warren had presided. Joseph Warren was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill and this led to the Provincial Grand Lodge declaring itself an independent Grand Lodge on 8 March 1777. There was the St John's Grand Lodge which had been the English Provincial Grand Lodge (Moderns) with John Rowe as Provincial Grand Master. These two Grand Lodges continued to exist independently of each other until they were united on I9 March 1792 to form the present Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. If there was any invasion of jurisdiction it is a moot point as to whose jurisdiction was invaded. This may be the place to point out that St Andrew's Lodge at Boston, holding its charter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and a founding lodge of the Scottish Provincial Grand Lodge refused to join the new Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. At a meeting of St Andrew's Lodge held on 21 December 1782 the lodge voted 30 to I9 against giving up its allegiance to Scotland and against joining the new Grand Lodge. St Andrew's Lodge remained under the Grand Lodge of Scotland until 1809. It is clear that the doctrine of exclusive jurisdiction was not operating at the time African Lodge's warrant was issued. AFRICAN LODGE AS A GRAND LODGE The exact date at which African Lodge assumed the powers of a Grand Lodge is impossible to pinpoint. That it functioned as a normal lodge for some years and made returns to the Grand Lodge of England with fees to the Charity Fund is beyond dispute. It was finally struck off the Register of the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) at the Union in 1813 because no returns or fees had been made for many years. In that respect Prince Hall's Letter Book shows a certain laxity on the part of the secretariat of the Grand Lodge, for his letters to Grand Secretary contain numerous complaints that his correspondence is not being answered. Doubtless there were transmission difficulties but one cannot think that all his letters to Grand Secretary were never received. If the criterion for being a Grand Lodge is the exercising of the right, de jure or de facto, of issuing warrants for the erection of a lodge, then African Lodge can be said to have acted as a Grand Lodge from the year 1797. If the criterion be that of a declaration of independence and surrender of allegiance then African Lodge did not assume the functions of a Grand Lodge until 1827 when the Boston Advertiser of 26 June carried an official declaration of independence over the signature of John Hilton, then Master of the lodge. Between these two dates much had happened. In 1797 Prince Hall received a letter from a Peter Mantone who lived in Philadelphia. This letter is reproduced at length in Davis and to save space I do not reprint it here. The letter recited that Peter Mantone and ten other brethren were desirous of having a warrant for a lodge. They had made application to the white masons and had been refused a warrant on the grounds, Mantone said, that the white masons were afraid that 'blackmen living in Virginia would get to be Masons too'. Mantone did not say to which Grand Lodge he had applied. The Grand Lodge of Virginia was formed in 1778 and the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1786. PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY In his reply to Mantone Prince Hall agreed to issue a warrant to the brethren in Philadelphia. In doing so Prince Hall was doing no more and no less than what Lodge Fredericksburg, Virginia, had done in 1757 Lodge Fredericksburg was self-formed in 1752 and did not get a warrant of its own (from the Grand Lodge of Scotland) until 1758. In 1757 it issued a Dispensation to Lodge Botetourt to meet at Gloucester, Virginia, and that lodge subsequently obtained a warrant from the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) as No. 458 in 1773. We have here a lapse of sixteen years between the granting of a Dispensation, by an unwarranted lodge, before the obtaining of a warrant. Lodge Fredericksburg is now No. 4 under the Grand Lodge of Virginia and was George Washington's lodge. Lodge Fredericksburg was not content with the issue of one Dispensation but, in 1768 (by which time it had been warranted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland), it issued a further Dispensation to Falmouth Lodge in Stafford County, Virginia. Of these activities of Lodge Fredericksburg the late Hugo Tatsch states: "It chartered lodges at Falmouth, Virginia (no longer in existence), and Botetourt Lodge, Gloucester County, Virginia. The right of Fredericksburg Lodge to issue these charters was recognized by the Craft during that period.", If Fredericksburg Lodge possessed, and had exercised, the right to issue charters then that same right cannot be denied to African Lodge No. 459. In reply to Peter Mantone's request Prince Hall wrote Mr. Peter Mantone, Sir, I received your letter of the a which informed me that there are a number of blacks in your city who have received the light of masonry, and I hope they got it in a just and lawful manner. If so, dear Brother, we are willing to set you at work under our charter and Lodge No. 459, from London: under that authority, and by the name of African Lodge, we hereby and herein give you license to assemble and work as aforesaid, under that denomination as in the sight and fear of God. I would advise you not to take in any at present till your officers and Master be installed in the Grand Lodge, which we are willing to do, when he thinks convenient, and he may receive a full warrant instead of a permit. This letter clearly shows that African Lodge proposed to function as a Grand Lodge - or at least to exercise rights similar to those of which Lodge Fredericksburg believed itself to be possessed. It further agreed to install the Master and officers in the new lodge in Philadelphia. All this time African Lodge was still writing to London, in its capacity as a private lodge under the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns) and sending in returns and fees. Lane records that the last payment of fees was made in 1797. On 15 June 1802 Prince Hall wrote yet again to Grand Secretary White and said, inter alia: I have sent a number of letters to the Grand Lodge and money for the Grand Charity, and by faithful brethren as I thought, but I have not received one letter from the Grand Lodge for this five years, which I thought somewhat strange at first; but when I heard so many were taken by the French, I thought otherwise, and prudent not to send. Prince Hall's Letter Book contains a copy of yet a further letter, of 16 August 1806, to William White complaining that he had not received any answers to his letters since 1792. From that it is clear that Prince Hall and African Lodge were still of the view that, as late as in í8o6, African Lodge was still a private lodge under the Grand Lodge of England. William White seems either to have neglected to answer Prince Hall's letters - or possibly never to have received them. In this latter respect one can hardly suppose that all Prince Hall's letters failed to reach their destination. It might be supposed that the silence from London over a period of some twenty years would have caused African Lodge to give up all hope of continuing as a private lodge under the Grand Lodge of England. But not a bit of it. On 5 January 1824, the then Master, Samson H. Moody wrote: To the Right Worshipful, the Grand Master, Wardens and Members of the Grand Lodge of England. PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY Your Petitioners, Samson H. Moody, Peter Howard, Abraham C. Derendemed, John I. Hilton, James Jacson, Zadock Lew, Samuel G. Gardner, Richard Potter, Lewis Walker and other Companions who have been regularly exalted to the Sublime degree of Royal Arch Masons, send greeting: Our worthy and well beloved Brethren, Prince Hall, Boston Smith, Thomas Sanderson and several Brethren having obtained a Warrant from your Honorable Body, on September 29, 1784 AD, AL 5784, when, under the Government of Thomas Howard, Earl of Effingham, Lord Howard, etc., etc., acting Grand Master under the authority of His Royal Highness Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland, Grand Master of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons. This Warrant allowing us to confer but the three Degrees, and finding it injurious for the benefit of our Body by having no legal authority to confer the other four degrees. And understanding that the seven degrees is given under the Warrant from the Grand Lodge, we, therefore, humbly solicit the renewal of our Charter to authorize us Legally to confer the same, as we are now getting in a flourishing condition. It is with regret we communicate to you that, from the decease of our Well Beloved Brethren who obtained the Warrant we have not been able for several years to transmit Monies and hold a regular Communication; but, as we are now permanently Established to work conformable to our Warrant and Book of Constitutions. We will send the monies as far as circumstances will admit, together with the money, for a new Warrant, Should your Honorable Body think us worthy to receive the same. We remain, Right Worshipful and Most Worshipful Brethren, With all Due Respect, Yours fraternally Samson H. Moody WM Peter Howard SW C. A. DeRandamie JW Given under our hands at Boston, in the year of our Lord 1824 January 5th (5824) William J. Champney, secretary. It is not clear from this last letter whether or not the members of African Lodge were seeking a Royal Arch warrant or whether they had, in some curious way, heard of the Rite of Seven Degrees. This seems unlikely for the Rite of Seven Degrees had ceased to function many years before this letter was written. The statement that the petitioners were Royal Arch masons need not surprise us. Referring to Lodge No. 441, I. C. Gould states: ‘The records of No. 441, in the 38th Foot, afford an illustration of Irish practice. The working of the Royal Arch degree was resumed in the Lodge [Gould's italics] in 1822, when a letter was read from the Deputy Grand Secretary, of which the following passage appears in the minutes: "There is not any warrant issued by the Grand Lodge of Ireland other than that you hold; it has therefore always been the practice of Irish lodges to confer the Higher Degrees under that authority. While the earliest records in the possession of African Lodge make no mention of the Royal Arch degree having been conferred, either by ‘Master Batt' or any other brother, it is not impossible that that degree was given at some later date. At the date of this letter, 1824, African Lodge were still under the impression that they were on the Register of the Grand Lodge of England (Moderns). They do not seem to have been informed of the change of number from 459 to 370 at the renumbering in 1792. Neither would they seem to be aware of the union of 1813 and their own removal from the register of the new United Grand Lodge of England. PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY The petitioners of 1824 received no warrant of any kind from the United Grand Lodge of England and in 1827 declared their independence from any Masonic authority. The National Grand Lodge was authentically established and started out on her mission of beneficent uplift work among our people of color on June 24, 1847 in Boston, Massachusetts. LEGITIMATE AND LEGAL NEGRO MASONS: From African Lodge #459, Boston, Massachusetts other Lodges were formed until there were enough Lodges to form a Grand Lodge in this State. Pennsylvania and New York also set up Lodges in their states. In 1847 the various grand lodges elected delegates and sent them to Boston for the purpose of organizing a National Grand Lodge under a National Compact and an Agreement of Sentiments. The National Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Ancient York Masons (Colored) for the United States of America was constituted. All of the Lodges surrendered their warrants and were IN FACT re- warranted by the National Grand Lodge under the first National Grand Master, John T. Hilton. A National Constitution and by-laws were drawn up to govern this body of colored York Rite Masons. Thus, to be a LEGITIMATE and LEGALLY constituted body of Colored Masons, the Masonic Body must be FREE AND ACCEPTED ANCIENT YORK RITE, PRINCE HALL ORIGIN NATIONAL COMPACT.

The Original Mission of the National Grand Lodge being In unity with all (Colored) Masons, that uniformity of ceremonies, laws and mutual relief be encouraged, and to remedy evils which have crept into the order. Attending to the careless management of Masonic laws. By the power and authority of the National Grand Lodge invested, grand lodges and subordinate lodges were constituted by warrant in the following States: Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, Grand Lodge of New York, Grand Lodge of New Jersey, Grand Lodge of Maryland, Grand Lodge of Ohio, Grand Lodge of Indiana, Grand Lodge of Michigan, Grand Lodge of Illinois, Grand Lodge of Kentucky, Grand Lodge of Nebraska, Grand Lodge of Colorado and Wyoming, Territory Grand Lodge of California, Grand Lodge of Arkansas, Grand Lodge of Virginia, Grand Lodge of Tennessee, Grand Lodge of Mississippi, Grand Lodge of Texas, Grand Lodge of Georgia, Grand Lodge of Louisiana, Grand Lodge of North Carolina, Grand Lodge of South Carolina, Grand Lodge of Florida.

PRINCE HALL ORIGIN: The name Prince Hall being associated with a Grand Lodge resulted from a Grand Warrant issued by the National Masons (Colored), to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Boston, Mass. in 1848; one year after the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Ancient York Masons (Colored), to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Boston, Mass. It was on April 28, 1848 that the National Grand Lodge presented the Old African Grand Lodge of Boston a new State warrant under the name Prince Hall Grand Lodge. In most of the early States the warrants and charters for constituting a Grand Lodge were granted by the National Grand Lodge. From 1848 to 1888 the National Grand Lodge issued nearly all of the Warrants and Charters for Grand Lodges. There came dissension and disagreement among the members of the National Grand Lodge and some of the delegates walked out. From the group that left the National Grand Lodge, charters were secured by them to practice masonry under the sanction of the State. This group later took the name Prince Hall Affiliated, who are often referred to as "State Rite" Masons. PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY

THE NATIONAL GRAND MASTERS WHO HAVE SERVED BEGINNING WITH THE PRESENT: HONORABLE CYLDE SHEPARD HONORABLE FELTON N. FERGUSON HONORABLE NORMAN E. WOODARD HONORABLE OSCAR MACK HONORABLE JEFFERSON D. TUFTS HONORABLE JAMES R. HAIRSTON HONORABLE MATTHEW BROCK HONORABLE MILFORD S. VAUGHN HONORABLE W. L. TURNER HONORABLE T. H. PICKNEY HONORABLE S.S. SIMMONS HONORABLE A. R. ROBINSON HONORABLE J. W. ALSTORK HONORABLE REV. A. B. ALLEN HONORABLE WILLIAM D. MATTHEWS HONORABLE GEORGE W. LEEVERS HONORABLE RICHARD H. GLEAVES HONORABLE PAUL DRAYTON HONORABLE WILLIAM H. DARNES HONORABLE ENOS H. HILL HONORABLE JOHN T. HILTON

GRAND MASTERS OF PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE prior to 1847ad and THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL GRAND LODGE, IN REVERSE ORDER: HONORABLE JOHN T. HILTON HONORABLE JAMES H. HOWE HONORABLE GEORGE HAUL HONORABLE THOMAS DALTON HONORABLE WALKER LEWIS PRINCE HALL FREEMASONRY HONORABLE C. A. DERANDOMIE HONORABLE JOHN HILTON HONORABLE SAMUEL H. MOODY HONORABLE PETE LEW HONORABLE GEORGE MIDDLETON HONORABLE NERO PRINCE

HONORABLE PRINCE HALL